Charges Filed Against Five Officials Over Fake Voter Guides
On Monday, five individuals, including two county commissioners from St. Johns and one commissioner from St. Augustine Beach, were indicted for allegedly distributing fraudulent Republican voter guides ahead of the 2024 primary election.
The indicted include County Commissioners Sara Arnold and Christian Whitehurst, St. Augustine Beach Board Chair and former Mayor Dylan Lumrell, along with political consultants Brianna Jordan and Jamie Lynn Johnson. Each faces one count of creating an unauthorized voter guide and one count of conspiracy. Additionally, Jordan has been charged with a felony for allegedly tampering with evidence by destroying or hiding the voter guide during the investigation.
The indictment comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to assign this case to an outside prosecutor. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigated the situation, and charges were eventually filed by State Attorney Brian Kramer after prosecutors from other circuits stepped down.
According to an FDLE affidavit, Jordan is considered the mastermind behind the scheme. She allegedly acted after the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee endorsed candidates that did not include her consulting business’s interests. Prosecutors claim she created a fake voter guide using the Republican Party’s name, omitting necessary legal disclaimers. Her bail has been set at $12,000, but it’s unclear when the defendants will first appear in court.
Investigators suggest that the fake guides were collected at campaign headquarters in St. Augustine and mailed to thousands of Republican voters from post offices in Jacksonville and Orlando to hide their origins. The affidavit details that Jordan purchased over 10,000 voter guides and around 20,000 stamps, while Whitehurst, Arnold, and Lumrell assisted in preparing these mailings by labeling and stamping envelopes.
The allegations also state that Jordan attempted to destroy evidence related to the voter guides before the operation became public knowledge. This incident has sparked significant controversy within the 2024 Republican primary in St. Johns County. Although the official county Republican Executive Committee endorsed one candidate, the fake guide endorsed several others, including Whitehurst.
The competing endorsements highlight ongoing intra-party conflicts regarding growth and development in this rapidly expanding county. The candidates in the fake guide largely aligned with those supported by the local Trump Club, and former President Trump endorsed three incumbent county commissioners late in the campaign.
Anne-Marie Evans, who narrowly lost to Whitehurst in the primary, expressed her outrage over the fake mailers, stating they created confusion among voters. Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power also condemned the misuse of the party’s brand.
The three elected officials are represented by a Jacksonville law firm and have expressed their intent to see the matter resolved, stating they have no further comments for now.
Denver Cook, chairman of the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee, stated that the charges affirm the party’s ongoing concerns since the fake mailers surfaced during the primary. He described the alleged conspiracy as a calculated effort to undermine the democratic process.
With the politicians facing these charges, they could be suspended from office at the governor’s discretion while the case unfolds. Notably, none of the three will face voters before 2028.
The controversy arose from a heated Republican primary, fueled by grassroots conservatives who took charge of the local committee, leading to clashes within the party over its direction and key local elections.
Separately, it was reported that law enforcement in Florida had initiated an election fraud investigation amid the distribution of fake voter guides that misrepresented the county’s Republican Party branding.
